Author: Sam "Trilby" Foxall

Following up on its previous episode on the original Super Smash Bros., DidYouKnowGaming has turned its attention to Super Smash Bros. Melee for its latest episode. Focusing on cut characters, cancelled features and other pieces of trivia, this episode sheds some light on some lesser-known facts about Melee’s development.

For example, Banjo-Kazooie, James Bond and Sonic the Hedgehog were all considered as characters to be featured within Melee. While Sonic was eventually added in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Banjo-Kazooie and James Bond were left out due to issues with licensing. The only potential remnant of James Bond’s possible inclusion is with the Proximity Mine item which has a passing resemblance to the Goldeneye weapon of the same name.

Eight player Smash was even considered as early as Melee, but the GameCube’s hardware limitations stopped this from happening. It was only until the release of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U that Sakurai could implement this feature.

Source: DidYouKnowGaming?

SSBM Tutorials and CDK are back with another Super Smash Bros. Melee guide, this time covering meteor smashes and spikes. While used interchangeably by some people, a meteor smash and a spike are different from one another, with this tutorial hoping to inform players about these differences.

Meteor smashes and spikes look the same on first glance; they both send an opponent flying downwards at high speed. However, while you can effectively cancel the momentum of a meteor smash through meteor cancelling, you cannot cancel the momentum of a spike. There are only four so-called “true” spikes in the game–Ganondorf’s Wizard’s Foot, Marth’s down air, the upper hitbox of Falcon’s down air and Falco’s down air. In the PAL version of Melee, Marth’s down air is actually a meteor smash.

Players can meteor cancel by inputting either an Up B or a jump eight frames after the initial hit-stun of a meteor smash. If you try to meteor cancel too early, you won’t be able to meteor cancel again for 40 frames and mostly likely die. If you lock out the jump meteor cancel window, you can always use the Up B one as the lock out windows are different. Trying to save yourself with the jump meteor cancel after an failed Up B cancel can be tricky, as you can press Up too hard on the Control Stick during the Up B and buffer your double jump before the initial eight frame window ends. Make sure to practice your meteor cancels and learn which moves can and can’t be cancelled out of.

Source: SSBM Tutorials

While yesterday saw the announcement of the first character pack for Injustice 2, NetherRealm Studios were also on hand for one of their informative Watchtower streams. Friday’s stream focused on Green Arrow, Green Lantern and the pre-order character Darkseid, showing off their special moves and various Gear sets which can be used in combat. GameSpot has compiled all of the relevant character walkthroughs into three dedicated videos for your viewing pleasure. First off is Green Lantern, who retains much of his moveset from the original Injustice. He also has dedicated Gear sets which turn him into a Red and Blue Lantern.

Next up is Green Arrow. Much like Green Lantern, he retains much of his moveset from the original Injustice. He can now move around while prepping one of his elemental arrows, as well as storing it in his quiver for later use. One of his new Gear pieces allows him to swap out his trademark boxing glove arrow for a bola arrow, which ties enemies in place for a few seconds.

The final character is the tyrannical ruler of Apokolips, Darkseid. Besides his trademark Omega Beams, Darkseid has control of three different minions to use in battle. One can be detonated on command, another one flies next to Darkseid and can either charge forward or fire a fireball, while the final minion teleports in for a quick overhead strike. Unlike Killer Instinct’s minion master Gargos, Darkseid’s Para-demons will disappear if Darkseid takes a hit.

Source: GameSpot via NetherRealm

Despite his position within the top 10 being somewhat of a meme within the Smash 4 community, there is no denying that Mario is quite the contender. He already possesses some fantastic combo tools, but this new footstool lock should see him getting more reliable kills.

Hoping to show players how to use this footstool lock in a game, the Beefy Smash Doods have made a new tutorial video to teach people everything about this setup. It’s quite tricky to do at first, requiring a footstool, a neutral air lock and perfectly placed jabs in order to set up for a kill. Moreover, this lock simply will not work on some characters due to their fall speed and gravity. However, if you do manage to land it, it can kill your opponent starting at around 50%.

Source: Beefy Smash Doods